1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intake port structure for an internal combustion engine.
2. Background Information
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-321678 describes one example of a conventional intake port structure for an internal combustion engine with spark ignition combustion. This intake port structure includes a fuel injector disposed in an intake air passage and a pair of intake valves provided for each cylinder of the engine. More specifically, the intake air passage includes a collector passageway disposed in an upstream section of the intake air passage and a pair of branching passageways downstream of the collector passageway such that the intake air passage branches into two paths from the collector passageway toward the intake valves. In this conventional intake port structure, both of the branching passageways are formed to have a considerable length in a substantially linear form. A crotch portion is formed between the branching passageways as a convex surface that protrudes toward the collector passageway (i.e., toward the upstream side of the intake port). The fuel injector is disposed in an upper portion of the collector passageway, and is configured and arranged to inject fuel toward a lower portion of the collector passageway to form an air-fuel mixture.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved intake port structure. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.